A Beautiful Vision
by Kristen3
Summary: An encounter at Cafe Nervosa turns out to be life-changing for both Niles and Daphne. One-shot.


Niles walked into Cafe Nervosa, and was pleased to see Daphne seated at a table right in front of him. He wasted no time in greeting her. "Hello, Daphne!" Without even hesitating, he kissed her cheek.

"My, you're certainly in a good mood!" Daphne blushed at the gesture.

"Well, so far, I've had three patients make major breakthroughs, so yes, you could say I'm on a bit of a high. May I join you?"

Daphne nodded, sighing a bit. "Well, I _was_ saving that seat for a gentleman, but considering he was supposed to meet me here over an hour ago, I think you can take it. Can I ask you a question, Dr. Crane? I want you to be perfectly honest with me."

"Yes, of course, Daphne. You have my word."

"All right. Well...is there something wrong with me?"

"No." Niles did not hesitate a bit.

"Now, Dr. Crane, don't worry about hurting me feelings. This sort of thing happens to me quite a bit, and I'm starting to wonder if it has to do with me."

Niles reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Daphne, you're not only beautiful, but sweet and kind. Not to mention the way you look after Dad. It's their loss, not yours."

Once again, Daphne found herself blushing. "Oh, thank you. You're such a wonderful friend. Roz keeps telling me that me Mr. Right is out there somewhere, but I'm starting to think there just isn't one. This whole dating thing is just a bloody waste of time!"

"Oh, now, Daphne, you can't give up!" Niles smiled at her, doing his best to encourage her.

"Well, if me Mr. Right_ is_ out there, he hasn't let me know about it yet." Yet another frustrated sigh escaped.

Niles saw the discouragement on her face, and somehow he knew he needed to speak. "Daphne, I think perhaps your 'Mr. Right' hasn't spoken up because he's afraid. Perhaps he thinks that you don't feel the same about him."

"Why, that's bloody ridiculous. I haven't even met him yet; how am I supposed to know how I feel about him?"

Before Niles could stop himself, he answered her. "But you _have_ met him."

Daphne's eyes narrowed. "I have? What do you mean, Dr. Crane?"

Now Niles' heart was pounding beyond belief. But he'd come this far, and there was no turning back. "Well...I was talking about me." He said the words so softly, he wasn't sure if she heard.

"You? You mean...?"

Niles nodded. "I've wanted to tell you a hundred times, but I didn't know how. You're my friend...actually my _best_ friend, and I couldn't imagine risking that."

Daphne stared at him in surprise. For a moment, she couldn't put her thoughts into words. But as the shock slowly wore off, she spoke. "That's the loveliest thing I've ever heard."

A smile appeared on Niles' face at once. "Really? Oh, Daphne."

She laughed. "Well, of course. This is much better than one of Roz's bloody blind dates, or going out with a man you've only just met. I'm not saying we're ready to get married or anything, but I think it's worth a chance."

Niles felt as if he'd won the lottery. This moment far surpassed this morning's breakthroughs. After all, rarely was Niles' own life changed by the progress his patients made. But this was the answer to his loneliness, the thing he'd wanted more than anything else. "I'm so happy," he said. "I feel like celebrating, but I don't know how."

Daphne liked his boyish enthusiasm. He hardly seemed like the stuffy psychiatrist she'd seen when they first met. She smiled. "Why don't we start with taking a walk? And then we'll see where we go from there. All right?"

"I would walk from here to New York if you asked me to!" Somehow, Niles even felt that he could. His excitement made him feel invincible.

"For now, let's just walk down the block before we try to get to the Atlantic!"

Her laughter made Niles dizzy. She got up, and he followed suit. They walked outside the cafe. Unbelievably, there was not even a cloud in the sky over Seattle. The fresh air allowed Niles to think more clearly, and he finally realized that this was no dream. "Daphne, what are your plans for dinner?"

"Oh, well, you know I usually start making dinner for your father and brother around five. I was thinking we could have leftovers."

Niles took her hand, sighing at its softness. "No, I meant _your_ dinner. I know that taking care of Dad and Frasier is very important to you. But you deserve to have a night all to yourself."

Daphne's head spun. Was he asking her out on an actual date? She knew he would want to take her to one of his fancy four-star restaurants. Though she lived in one of Seattle's most upscale apartment buildings, she did not truly belong in that world. But she looked in Niles' blue eyes, and she realized that wasn't the way he saw her. He already knew all about her background, and yet it didn't seem to matter to him. "All right. We can do that, then."

Niles closed his eyes, already picturing himself at a small, romantic table for two. _The restaurant would be nearly deserted, so that they could eat their meal in peace. The waiter brought their wine, and just as he raised his glass, he said, "Daphne?" _

"Are you all right?" She squeezed his hand, wondering why he stood there with his eyes closed.

"Yes," Niles replied, blushing a bit. "It's just that I think I had one of your visions."

Daphne smiled, grateful that he was the one person who'd never openly questioned her powers. "Well, I hope it was a good one."

Niles kissed her. Though their lips met for only a second, it made all of his fantasies pale by comparison. "It was beautiful. Just like you."

**The End**


End file.
